Handle for golf sticks



June 30, 1925.

L. K. DE BUS HANDLE FOR GQLF STICKS Filed Dec, 26, 1922 Patented June30, 1925.

UNITED STATES .LQUIS K. DE BUS, OFCIN'OINNATI, OHIO.

'HA'NDLE,FOR GOLF STICKS.

Application filed December 26, 1922. Serial No. 608,939.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS K. Dn Bus, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handles for GolfSticks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to handles or grips for golf sticks. The objectof the invention to provide an improved handle which eliminates or tendsto eliminate improper effect of the two hands upon the club during theswing and enables the player to control the effects of the two hands orarms, to proportion their individual effects upon the club, and tosecure their effective conjoint operation in a manner to avoid slicing,smothering, pulling or other erratic effects and thus assist in thecontrol of the direction in which a golf ball is driven.

It is well understood that each of the playei"s two hands plays adifferent part in the proper golf stroke and'that their duties mustbeproperly proportioned so as to'secure not only their individualeffects but also proper conjoint action. The complete stroke must startfrom a proper initial position or stance, the player addressing the ballwith a firm grip upon the handle 'of the golf club and with the clubhead adjacent to the ballin the position it should occupy at the momentof impact. The player then takes a back swing during which he pivots hisbody, gradually raises his arms and turns his wrists, following the backswing with a downward swing or sweep culminating in an upward strokebeyond the ball approximately equal in extent to the downward swing toit. During this pendular forward swing, which is a progressiveuninterrupted movement, the arms, wrists, hands and club, at the momentof impact, should be in ap proximately the same position as at themoment of beginning the stroke.

Considering now a right handed player for purposes of illustration, mostplayers experience difficulty in an inevitable ten dency of the righthand to turn the club about the axis of its shaft or handle, eitherclockwise or counter-clockwise, so that the face of the club is tiltedor askew at the moment of impact and produces either a pull or a slice,or what is known as a smothering effect. Experience has also shown thatthe best results are secured if the left hand hands therefore each playan individual part in the stroke, and the left hand must doone thing andthe ri ht hand another, their cffocts should be directed to a smoothcontinuous action. It is therefore desirable to provide means forpreventing the one hand, say the right, in the case of a right handplayer, from interfering with theleft hand. Such means is providedbythepresentinvention, which comprises the construction and arrangement ofparts hereafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 represents a bro ken out longitudinal sectionalView of a golf stick embodying theinvention; Fig. 2 is a similar viewillustrating a modification; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of anothermodification.

'"While the invention may be embodied in any kind of golf stick, such asthe mashie, midiron, brassie or driver, and for either right or lefthand players, the drawings show it applied to a right hand driver having the usual head A and shaft 13. Said shaft is provided with a handleor grip portion including distinct gripping portions.

for the two hands, to wit, a relatively sta tionary grip portion for theleft hand and a portion movable relatively thereto and to the shaftforthe right hand. The relatively stationary portion, indicatedgenerally at 1, may be similar to the handle or grip now in use andcomprise either a portion of the properly surfaced barestick or shaft 2,in the case of the less expensive clubs, or said shaft, as indicated,may be provided with a suitable wrapping 3 to be grasped by the handsand made of leather, rubber, fabric or any other suitable material,usually some material upon which the hands are not likely to slip. Therelatively movable grip portion for the right hand, indicated generallyat i, is constructed andarranged to have free rotation about the axis ofthe shaft or stick. It may, for example, comprise a slightly tapered orcylindrical sleeve 5 held rotatable between two flanged ferrules 6,secured to the shaft, as in Fig. 2.

Said sleeve will be a fairly close fit on the shaft so as to havepractically no radial motion relative thereto and will have practicallyno longitudinal motion between the two ferrules, but will rotateeasilyon the shaft. The sleeve shown in Fig. 2 may be divided into twoor any other number of sections of ring'form, as illustrated at 5 Fig.1, each of said rings being confined between its two neighbors androtating on the shaft independently of the other rings. The sleeve orrings may be made of any suitable material, such as metal, hard fibre orany suitable material, with some stiffness, if desired, Which willrotate freely and at the same time prevent the hands from slipping uponit.

Fig. 8 illustrates another modification in which the sleeves or rings 5lying adjacent to each other, as before, are each of chan-v nel form incross section, being each provided with an annular groove or recess 7 toreceive a filling ring 8 of rubber, composition material or any suitablematerial for the purpose. Said filling rings may be glued or cemented inplace or may be plastic material molded into the grooves.

With the arrangement described the player addresses the ball with theusual grip, with his two hands either separated or more or lessoverlapping according to common practice. In this position the left handgrasps therelatively stationary portion 1 of the grip, and the righthand or at least the major portion thereof is applied to the relativelymovable or rotatable portion 5 or 5 of the grip. The stroke is thencarried through to completion in the usual manner. However, on thedownward swing the operator can neglect entirely any tendeney of theright hand to turn the club about its own axis. .The left hand, graspingthe relatively stationary portion of the grip is theone which guides andcontrols the club and determines the actual position of the club head,relative to the ball at the moment *of impact. The right hand merelysupports and steadies the club but is unable to turn it about its ownaxis. Nevertheless,

the right hand just prior to the moment of impact and up to thecompletion of the stroke, is in proper position to apply the strength ofthe right arm to the club and secure the proper force. The arrangementdescribed has been found in practice to eliminate many of the erraticand bad effects of poor right hand control and secures more uniformresults.

The foregoing description has been directed entirely to the right handplayer. Obviously however, the same grip or handle, applied to a lefthand club, is suitable for use by a left hand player, in which case thetwo hands are merely shifted upon the club with the right hand upon therelatively. stationary portion and the left hand upon the relativelymovable portion.

What I claim is: y

1. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a plurality of annularhand portions mounted thereon for independent or individual rotarymovement thereabout.

2. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a plurality of annularhand portions mounted thereon for independent or individual rotarymovement thereabout, each of said portions being provided with anannular external recess, and filling members arranged in said recesses.

3. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a plurality of annularhand portions mounted thereon for independent or individual rotarymovement thereabout, said annular portions being arranged in endwiseengaging relation along saidshaft.

4. A golf club handle, comprising a shaft having a relatively fixedportion adapted tobe grasped by one hand of a player and a portionmovable relative to said. shaft adapted to be grasped by the other-handof the player, said movable portion comprising a plurality of annularmembers having independent rotary movement about said shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereby affix my signature.

. LOUIS K. DE us.

